Forest

Training the next generation of forestry professionals

By Treasure Montana

September 20^th, 2024

We Are Leaders in the Future of Sustainable Forest Management.

Extreme wildfires have doubled in the past two decades, causing significant impacts on human, economic and environmental health across the Western U.S. Additional stressors, like exotic species invasions and changes in nutrient availability, also affect forests and their inhabitants. Your support ensures the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation continues to serve as the national nexus of forestry expertise to address these and other challenges facing ecosystems across the West.

At the Franke College, we train the next generation of scientists and leaders who will develop innovative solutions for growing threats facing sustainable land management in the Northern Rockies and beyond. Our students conduct research on forest ecology and soil that extends to tropical and temperate forests worldwide. They participate in forest regeneration and fire hazard reduction. They study forest management operations such as timber harvesting, planning and transportation, as well as the development of new products, processes and applications for wood-based materials.

We provide invaluable hands-on experience at Lubrecht Experimental Forest and Bandy Ranch in the Blackfoot Valley northeast of Missoula, where students learn about restoring landscapes, prescribed burns and wildfire management. Through our strategic partnerships with state agencies and non-government organizations, students benefit not only from immersive education, but also connections with future employers.

When you give to support the Treasure Montana campaign, you invest in the future of sustainable forest management. With your help, Franke College will be better equipped to conduct pioneering research to protect the health of our forests and communities and inform ecological forest management and reforestation efforts. Together, we can help ensure the safety and well-being of residents throughout the American West and beyond.

Read the stories below to learn how our work has far-reaching ecological and economic impacts, and how your support makes a difference.

Ecosystem Health Expert to Serve as First UM Endowed Chair of Forest Conservation

UM has named Troy Magney the inaugural W.A. Franke Endowed Faculty Chair in Forest Conservation. In this new position, Magney will leverage his expertise in ecosystem health to elevate UM’s forest conservation program through research, outreach and education. The position is made possible with generous support from Bill and Carolyn Franke and the Franke family.

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“These young people are trained to be leaders. These students are going to be the next generation of district rangers and forest supervisors across our country.”

-- Mike Schaedel '16, Forest Restoration and Partnership Manager at The Nature Conservancy

Forged by Fire

After spending three seasons fighting fires across the West for the U.S. Forest Service, Judah Garcia is poised to graduate as one of the Franke College’s many success stories: well-schooled in the classroom and fully trained in the field. Garcia gained valuable hands-on experience at UM’s National Center for Landscape Fire Analysis. The distinct mix of classroom instruction and professional-level fieldwork forestry and conservation students like Garcia receive at UM uniquely positions them to become the region’s next wave of fire professionals.

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UM Research: Reforestation Needs in the West to Double by 2050

Two recent UM studies are demystifying how increasing wildfires and hotter annual temperatures limit forest regeneration in the Western U.S., revealing that our capacity to plant trees can’t keep pace with reforestation needs.

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UM Center Blazes Trail with Course About Living with Fire

The FireCenter at UM is training the next generation of fire scientists and fighters on emerging solutions to help mitigate wildfires. A pilot course in Georgia and training in the Lubrecht Experimental Forest provide UM students and state agencies with crucial hands-on experience in prescribed burning.

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UM Research: Hotter, Drier Conditions Limit Forest Recovery From Wildfires

Warmer and drier climate conditions in western U.S. forests make it less likely trees can regenerate after wildfires, according to new research from UM. The study provides timely information to optimize new state and federal initiatives to increase the pace of ecologically based forest management across millions of acres of Western forests.

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New Study Finds Humans Cause More Destructive Wildfires in the West

A new analysis from UM and its partners found that more than three times as many houses and other structures burned in Western wildfires from 2010 to 2020 than in the previous decade. Philip Higuera, a UM fire ecologist and professor, wrote an assessment about how humans drive the negative impacts from wildfire.

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Connect With Us

To learn more and to support the Franke College, contact Melinda Booth, senior director of development for the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation and the Wildlife Biology Program, at melinda.booth@supportum.org or 406-243-2593. You may also visit our Contact page.